Kosmos are a Canadian prog quartet whose roster includes drummer Michael “Away” Langevin of metal legends Voivod. Here, they’ve recorded an album that hops from genre to genre yet feels impressively cohesive when taken as a whole.
Their sound is mostly married to the 1970s and early ’80s — even the purely electronic tunes use the type of motorik beats and warm synth pads that signify a vintage notion of “the future” rather than a modern one. From bluesy, synth-heavy prog (“Psycho,” “Grand Grizou”) to synth-driven electronic pieces (“Dream”) and songs that would sound at home soundtracking old George A. Romero zombie flicks (“Septial”), Kosmos leaps from genre to genre, always sounding convincing and rarely sounding boring. There is also a song called “Krautrock,” and describing it here would be redundant.
Kosmos is constantly varying in both tempo and style, and it’s only forty-four minutes long, which prevents the album from feeling fatiguing or over-long, despite how packed it is with ideas and references. The only major stumble is the French spoken-word track “Amerique Innavouable,” which meanders a bit, although it is mercifully brief and followed up with the one-two punch of space-drone “Mothership” and closing rocker “Messe Noire.”
Overall, it’s an impressive album that is a fun listen when it rocks, but can be absolutely beautiful in its quiet moments. Anyone with an ear for the 1970s and a love for retro-futurism would do well to give Kosmos a listen.
– Patrick Hajduch
Kosmos: www.myspace.com/kosmostheband
The End Records: www.theendrecords.com